First thing first, the customers never put things back where they should be. EVER, even if its only 1 ft away from where it should be they simply refuse to put it back. Its like some extreme form of autism that prevents them from putting things in their proper place, or reverse OCD or something. People pick out shit and then leave it, idk who took the time to handpick a dozen apples and then decided they didn't want them but its annoying because they left the bag at the complete opposite side of the store, probably 300 ft away, fucking crazy.

Too much shit gets thrown away, we throw away canned items even if they have a dent in them. Even if its something like a can of liquid, idk wtf is going on in the minds of the people who made this policy but you can't hurt a can of fucking soup unless the actual can is pierced. Discontinued products get put into damaged and are presumably thrown away. Perfectly good food thrown out because its been ''discontinued''. I think the store used to have a bin for discontinued items but they've remodeled and rearranged it so many times I can't say for certain.

I used to be a real night owl but now I prefer to sleep at night and I only get like 3 hrs of sleep before work at most.

I actually enjoy working there immensely but still sometimes these things get to you.

I work retail food sales as well and the amounts of food that are thrown in the garbage is shocking. Despite the fact that the new employees are eligible for government support, their pay being so low, they can not take home the old bread.

If you think the customers are wacky now, you should try working days.

I work retail food sales also. I'm one of the cashiers, and some of the customers are pretty shitty at times. Often, if they don't want something, they'll just put it within the candy and stuff at the checkout. On the occasion, they even do that to meat. Some of them are incredibly rude and entitled, and I can't say shit without risking my job.

Yeah I've found all kinds of food ruined by customer laziness, probably about $50 worth and I haven't even been on the job 2 months. All kinds of stuff that should be in frozen has been ruined by being left elsewhere and stuff that should be room temperature I've seen shoved in the freezers.

Also unless I work like 2 hrs overtime I get paid the same amount of money. I worked 40+ hrs a week for a month and got $270-$280 after taxes and on my last paycheck I got $230 for working 25 hrs. I'd rather have the 15 hrs of my life than $3 an hr after taxes.

Having a job, even a humble one, is significantly better than standing in a soup line. Try it out.

You may be surprised at what people are willing to do to keep a roof over their head, feed their children, etc.

As for the pay, butchers, cooks, bakers, accountants, as well as the various full time, and managerial types make a decent living.

A related issue is the question of how the drive to increase profits impacts both wages and quality in a highly competitive market. The bakers in my store joke that they work in a fakery not a bakery. They say so because most of what they sell is merely heated up. They hardly bake anything from scratch. And the quality has suffered.

I am a member of the meat cutter's union and for now the trade has not been destroyed.

Yet.

There have been changes, however. It is no longer the case that you will find whole half steer hanging in the meat box. This has an impact on the taste of your meet, though not a dramatic one. Some retailers have moved all their meat cutting to a central location to take advantage of economies of scale. One example I know of, subsequently went out of business, after making that change. Whether this was a consequence of that change, even in part, is arguable. Regardless, I know where I would buy my meat. It will be at the shop that does their cutting in house - because of the quality of their product - not due to solidarity.